


The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Teacher

by Foxy_Kyle



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Autism, Blood and Injury, M/M, Muteness, Original Character(s), POV Andrew Minyard, POV Neil Josten, Slurs, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27305560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxy_Kyle/pseuds/Foxy_Kyle
Summary: Andrew is an English teacher. He gets paid a mediocre amount to teach obnoxious high school students in a mediocre town. Palmetto, South Carolina is a very small town. The type where everyone knows each other. Andrew hates that and tries everything he can to make sure nobody knows anything about him.orAndrew crushing on one of his students 'parent'.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 25
Kudos: 112





	1. Nico Josten

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fic so it might be shit but here you go anyway. Also just to warn you the r slur is said in a later chapter but I'll be sure to put a warning in the notes on it incase you don't want to read it. There is also an autistic character and I don't know much about autism but I'm going to do my research to make sure everything is accurate as possible. If you don't think something is right feel free to tell me and I'll fix it. I'm all for constructive criticism. Anyway here it is. (Also I know this first chapter is short but I'm just trying this out)

Andrew is an English teacher. He gets paid a mediocre amount to teach obnoxious high school students in a mediocre town. Palmetto, South Carolina is a very small town. The type where everyone knows each other. Andrew hates that and tries everything he can to make sure nobody knows anything about him. He has a small group of friends, if he considers them that, called the foxes which consists of Dan, Matt, Allison, Renee, Kevin, and then his cousin and brother Nicky and Aaron. He really only likes Renee though. The rest of them are just background teachers or parents who happen to know him. The only things they really know about him are that he lives in a shitty one room apartment with a cat named Sir and that he is the most ruthless when it comes to grading. He never engages in conversation with them and he doesn’t feel the need to. They wouldn’t care either way. Renee and him talk sometimes. She is the special ed teacher and is also the leader of the GSA. Andrew likes going in her classroom on his breaks and hanging out with the kids. The kids like how honest Andrew is and they are the only kids Andrew really tolerates at the school. There are only about 10 of them in the class and since the town is so small the school he teaches at is K-12 making their ages range a lot. Most of the younger ones swarm around him when he walks in, excited to see him. All of them except for one. A boy in 7th grade who transferred in the middle of the year. He has light brown wavy hair with shocking blue eyes and his name is Nico. He always sits in a corner in the back coloring or writing or drawing. Andrew isn’t sure which one. Renee told Andrew that he was autistic and has selective mutism so he has trouble making friends because none of them know sign language. Well Andrew does but so does Renee so she can talk to him just fine. If he wanted to talk he would just do it with Renee but since he doesn’t that must mean he likes to keep to himself. And Andrew appreciates that because he’s the same way. Later that night when he’s grading papers with Sir on his lap he gets a call from Renee. “Hello?” He says “Hi Andrew. How are you?” She says back. “Not much has changed since I saw you a few hours ago. Is there something you needed?” “Yes. Well I was looking through the kids poems that they made for our project this week.” “And?” “One of them is- well I think it’s the best written thing I’ve ever read.” “That’s very nice Renee but how exactly does this affect me?” “I was wondering if you could teach this student. I mean not all the time but I’m not exactly the best with English and you are. I mean now that I think about it his writing has always been phenomenal. I just think he deserves a real English teacher who can teach him more advanced things.” Andrew pauses for a moment and says. “How would it work?” “I’m thinking that I can teach him normally throughout the day and then you could choose a class, maybe one with not a lot of students that he can come and sit in on.” “Hmm...I’ll do it but I’m not gonna teach differently. If you think he can handle an advanced class then I don’t feel the need to.” “I didn’t ask you too. Oh and Andrew I must warn you. He can be a bit of a trouble maker sometimes. Anyway Goodnight. See you Monday.” “Wait. Which kid is it?” “Oh it’s Nico Josten. Ok Bye Andrew.” And then the phone hangs up. Suddenly Andrew puts it all together and realizes Renee set him up. She knew that he wondered about the kid and also that he knew sign language. And then he realizes he’s in 7th grade. He teaches advanced English for juniors. This kid better be as good as Renee says he is and a part of Andrew knows he will be.


	2. Monday Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's first day in Andrew's class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for all of the great suggestions. I applied some in this chapter and I hope you like it and it's more enjoyable. :)
> 
> Also sorry these chapters are short. They'll get longer in the future.

That Monday Renee calls him on his way to school saying that she talked with his guardian and he agrees with her. She also said that she would take him to the class that first morning. That’s why he was surprised to see his room door picked unlocked and a small figure in there. A lot of his co-workers had cringy inspirational posters on the walls about cats hanging in there but Andrew kept his room simple but still enjoyable. He had a big bookshelf filled to the brim with books and a few plants scattered around the room. He also kept some bean bags by the bookshelf for kids to read in.  
Nico wasn’t looking at any of it though. Instead he was by the filing cabinet (which he had also picked open) and was reading something. When he noticed that Andrew was there he put it back and closed the cabinet quickly. Andrew just walked to his desk and set his things down then signed. 

“What were you doing?” 

Nico looks a bit shocked that Andrew knew sign language but then signed back.

“Looking for the fucks I give.” 

Wow. Feisty. Andrew wasn’t expecting that so he just signed back. 

“Well you won’t find any here.” 

Then he sits down at his desk and starts to get this week's lesson plan ready. When he does glance up at Nico he looks a little stunned but he also has a crooked smile on his face. Finally he moves and finds a seat in the back.   
Some time passes until school starts and he calls Renee to let her know Nico’s already there. Then kids start filing in and Andrew can see Nico get a bit more tense. Like he’s expecting something. Once the bell rings Andrew stops what he is doing and starts to write on the whiteboard. 

“This week we are starting ‘Lord of the Flies’. If you don’t have a copy I have extra in the back. We will learn about symbolism, how to analyze text, and how to not be late to class Mr. Cunningham.” 

The class quietly chuckles as Andrew turns around to look at one of his students (Jason Cunningham) trying to sneak to his seat.

“Oh my bad Mr.-” Then he glances over to the board to see Andrew’s name like he hasn’t been here all year. “Minyard.” He finishes. “Football practice ran late.”

“Weird. I remember Coach Day telling me all sports practice was cancelled this morning from the rain.”

Jason turns pale and when Andrew walks up to him he can smell what he was doing on him. He holds out his hand and Jason reluctantly gives up his juul. Andrew has been through this with him before even though it is a bit hypocritical considering Andrew was smoking when he was his age. He’s stopped though and he won’t tolerate it in his class.   
When he’s about to get back to the lesson he notices that everyone has avoided Nico like the plague. He’s sitting in the back corner with all the chairs around him abandoned. He doesn’t really think Nico minds since he likes being by himself but he sees a little flash of sadness in his eyes when he notices too. It leaves just as quickly as it comes though. He thinks about saying or doing something but decides to let it be until it becomes a problem. He trusts Renee’s judgment after all.


	3. I Hit Him First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet Neil! On the other hand some bad things happen to Nico :( but he'll be okay I promise. Also Jason's a dick and he may or may not be based off someone I know. :/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //TW R Slur//
> 
> This chapter is longer and more things happen.  
> Also there is a lot more dialogue in this one and I took all of your advice to spilt it up but I don't if it looks too spilt up. I'm a young baby fan fic-er and I need guidance.

The rest of the week goes by pretty normally. He eats lunch with Renee, his students groan when he announces an essay, and he grades papers on his couch with Sir in his lap. It’s how most weeks go. One thing he wasn’t expecting though was Nico’s attitude. He thought having him as a student wouldn’t cause too much considering he only has him for one class and he doesn’t talk but boy was he wrong. Every chance he got he would sign something witty or snarky to Andrew or he would play games on his phone the whole time in class seeming like he’s not paying attention. Andrew kind of admired it since by the time he was grading papers that Friday night Nico got all the answers right. 

The next week is when things got a bit crazier. On Wednesday when Nico came to class he seemed different. At the end of class Andrew asked him about it but he just signed back.  
“I’m fine.” Andrew let it go until the next day in class there was a small altercation. He ended up being late because his car broke down but he asked Renee to unlock his door so the students could come in. When he walked in he saw Jason Cunningham and a few other kids near Nico and they didn’t seem to be befriending him. They were all circled around laughing and shoving him. 

“Look at it. It doesn’t even talk! Hello? Say something!”

Everybody laughed. Then Jason says. 

“Fucking retard.”

In an instant Andrew goes straight towards them intending to hurt but then he realizes he’s a teacher. 

“What is going on?”

He says in a stern voice instead. They are all startled by him and Jason tries to defend himself by saying. 

“We were just having fun. Right Nico?”

Nico stays still and when he looks up Andrew can see clearly that he has tears running down his eyes. 

“Back to your seat all of you! And Mr. Cunningham...detention tomorrow after school.”

“What? You can’t do that, it's Friday and there’s a game tomorrow!”

“I think they'll manage without you. In fact they might actually be better. Now to your seat.”

Jason tries to protest but Andrew instead turns away and crouches down in front of Nico’s desk. 

“Are you okay?”

He signs. “I don’t know. I think I will be.”

He signs back. “Do you want to leave? You can go to Renee’s.”

“No, we're at my favorite part of the book.”

“You’ve read it before?”

“I’ve read all of the books on your bookshelf.”

Andrew is a bit impressed but keeps his apathetic face on and signs. “Okay just let me know if you need anything.” Nico nods and Andrew goes back to the front to start today’s lesson. Nico is right though this is the best part of the book. 

The next day when his first class is over Andrew reluctantly gets out of his desk chair. On Friday he has hallway duty and he has to watch and make sure nobody does anything bad. All the students are out of his class by the time he goes in the hallway. Everything seems pretty normal like it usually is until he notices near the end of the hall Jason has Nico pushed up against a locker. It was the most cliché thing ever. Without thinking Andrew zooms down the hall until he is close enough to hear what’s being said. He’s short so he blends in with all of the other students. 

“This is your fucking fault you fucking retard! Now I’m gonna miss the game because of you! My dad was not happy when he found out and he could get you kicked out of here any day! Listen this is what you’re going to do. Go to Mr. Minyard and tell him we were just joking and were friends. If you don’t I will make your life a living hell shitface. Don’t think I’m scared to hit you just because you're a spaz.” 

Andrew is about to get closer to break it up but before he does Nico pushes him back and sucker punches him right in the face. He keeps on punching and soon people gather around to watch. Jason starts to fight back though and since he is really big and on the football team he knocks Nico out. Andrew rushes towards him and when he does he’s already waking up again. 

“Everyone scatter! Get back to class! Except you Mr. Cunningham.” 

Nico is still a bit out of it with a terrible bloody nose so Andrew signs. 

“Nico can I pick you up? Yes or no?”

Nico just nods and Andrew picks him up and carries him to the office with Jason in tow. Even he looks a little bit worried. On his way to the office and nurses room he passes Renee’s room and she sees what happened and follows him too. 

“Is he okay? What happened?” 

“This jackass punched him in the face and knocked him out for a bit.” Andrew says coldly and then Renee and Andrew see Nico sign. 

“To be fair I punched him first.”

And Andrew rolls his eyes. When they get there he leaves Nico and Renee in Nurse Abby’s room and takes Jason to Principal Wymack’s office. Wymack looks at Jason with black eyes now and asks. 

“What the hell happened Minyard?”

He‘s probably expecting to hear Andrew did that to him but when he recalled the story Wymack just sighs. 

“Really Cunningham? Is it that hard to be a decent person? I’m gonna call your parents now and I’ll call Nico’s too. We’re gonna have a little discussion. Minyard you stay too your a witness. Put up absorption sheets or something on your class door while I call.”

Andrew got back to his class and stalled a little bit not wanting to go back and deal with this right now. He grudgingly put the sheet up while all of the kids around him groaned. He knew he wasn't a favorite teacher but the students still liked going in his classroom. Once he walks into Wymack’s office Jason’s parents are already there. They look exactly like he expected. Big and tough dad in an expensive suit and small and petite mom with long hair and a pencil skirt. They all look so...related. Jason is practically a spitting image from his dad with light beige skin and dark hair and he has the same cold grey eyes as his mom. 

After taking a good look at them he notices Nico is also in there on the other side of the small office. He is sitting in a big chair and he looks so small compared to it. It might also be the way he has his hood up and is shrinking into the chair. Andrew can barely see his face but the part he can see doesn’t look so good. That’s actually an understatement. His face looks wrecked. He has a big bandage around his nose and on the side of his face that was facing him he wore a giant purple and blue bruise from his cheek to the edge of his eye. Andrew didn’t know if he even wanted to see his whole face. Even though he wasn't as bad Jason looked pretty beat up too with multiple bruises around his eyes. Wymack then introduced him. 

“This is Mr. Minyard. He’s their teacher and he was there when it happened. He’s gonna stay here and give us his input.”

As he goes to sit on the couch by Wymack he hears a little high pitched voice speak up. 

“Um excuse me.” Jason’s mom says. 

“I don’t mean to be rude.” 

That always means they're gonna say something rude. 

“But isn’t he a little too...I don’t know... young to be in an advanced juniors class. Our Jay Jay is very smart and I don’t want him being in a class not on his...level.”

Andrew holds back an eyeroll. 

“Well Nico is very smart for his age and got put into that class.” Wymack says.

Then it falls back into silence and Andrew realizes he doesn’t know what they are waiting for. But then he figures out that they are waiting for Nico’s parents- or guardian. Renee keeps saying that when she talks about Nico’s ‘parents’. That makes Andrew wonder if he had or has a bad living situation and he suddenly wants to make sure he’s safe and/or do something about it. A few more beats of silence happen and then Mr. Cunningham says. 

“What’s taking so long? Are your parents coming, son?”

He asks Nico. Nico glances towards him and turns to Andrew and signs. 

“He’s on his way. His work is far.”

Andrew then repeats that out loud and the family besides Jason look flabbergasted. Like they can’t believe their son hit a person with a disability. Well yeah believe it because he’s a shit of a person and it’s probably your fault. 

Then someone comes bursting through the door. He looks like a mess of a person but still very put together. He has auburn hair with scars sporting his face and hands that don’t look like an accident. Andrew would have thought he had the wrong room until he looks up and meets his eyes. They are the same blue as Nico’s. Even though they made eye contact for only a second Andrew felt the weight like a ton of bricks. He keeps looking at the man and thinks wow he is very pretty until Andrew realizes this is not the time to be crushing on cute boys. Especially the guardians of his students. 

“Hello sorry I’m late. Long drive.” He says. 

Andrew can’t quite distinguish his accent. It sounds like a west coast accent with a smudge of British. The type of accent that was formed from moving a lot of places. 

“That’s okay. Let’s just all get started so we can go home alright?” Wymack says. “This is Mr. Minyard, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, and Mr. Josten.” 

“Oh just call me Neil.” Neil says. 

The Cunningham's give him a weird side eye. The whole time Nico has kept his face turned away from Neil like he was trying to avoid something. That just worries him more. Is he expecting kisses or more bruises? Andrew breaks from his thoughts when Wymack says. 

“Okay today when classes were switching Jason and Nico got into a bit of a fight. Cunningham, let's start with you. What happened?”

“Well I was walking in the halls and I saw Nico and yesterday we were joking around and I got detention for it. Today I was just joking again and saying it was his fault and it was obviously in a playful tone but Nico got mad and just started attacking me. He wouldn’t stop so I finally had to defend myself so I tried to push him back but I accidentally punched him in the face. I didn’t think it would end up like this.”

The Cunningham's look sad and sympathetic like they actually believed this story. Neil on the other hand was rolling his eyes. 

Wymack says. “So you're telling me that you and Nico are “friends” and were “just joking”?” 

Mama bear snaps back and says. “How could you not believe him. He is a good boy for being friends with him!”

Then Neil starts laughing and says. 

“Wait are you trying to justify your son hitting Nico by saying he’s a “good person” for being “friends” with a kid with a disability?” 

The mom suddenly goes quiet.

“Um okay does Nico want to sign to us his side of the story?”

Nico signs a no and Neil repeats it out loud. 

“Oh. Um...Minyard! How about you tell us what happened.” The thing Andrew had been dreading. Talking. Then Andrew starts in the most boring and monotone voice. 

“I was on hallway duty and I saw Jason pushing Nico against the locker so I went down there. Jason was verbally abusing Nico so Nico punched him until he fell to the floor. Then Jason punched him back and Nico passed out but woke up a few moments later.”

“Wait, he passed out?” Neil's says. “Nico are you okay?”

He asks as he starts to pull down his hoodie. He gasps at his face. I guess he never really got a good look at it and neither did Andrew. He had a cut lip, bruises all over his nose, cheeks, and eyes that were attempted to be covered up by a big white gauze looking bandage over his nose. He also had pieces of tissue up his nostrils that were turning red to stop the bleeding. Jason must have punched him more than he counted. After Neil got over his initial reaction he turned cold and angry. He turned to the Cunningham's and said. 

“You’re fucking son did that to him?”

Then the dad says. “Now, now we don’t know the full story. How can we be sure that uh... Mr. Minyard is telling the truth. I’ve known many teachers who have favorites.”

Then Wymack says something he wished he hadn’t. 

“Wait Minyard don’t you have an eidetic memory? Can you tell us what Jason said that was so bad? Maybe we can justify it.”

Andrew glares at him but Wymack keeps his gaze. “Fine.” Then he repeats exactly what Jason said out loud. The whole room is silent as the words filter through the air. 

“How do we know he didn’t just make that up?” The mom says. 

“Okay this is getting ridiculous.” Neil says and Andrew agrees.

He was tired of this as soon as it started. 

“Nico was defending himself. If someone who was much taller and older came up to you and started bullying you what would you do? I know he can be a bit of trouble sometimes but those things Jason said were not okay either. He’s a terrible person and your “little perfect family” is actually very flawed if you taught him that was okay. If Nico is going to get suspended I want him suspended too.”

Mr. Cunningham then says “Suspension seems a bit much” at the same time Jason says “What? I already have detention!” While Mrs. Cunningham rolls her eyes. 

“Yes I agree with Josten. 3 day suspension starting Monday for both of you.” Wymack says.

Andrew knows he’s being generous. The Cunningham's looked annoyed but finally got up and left the room. Then Wymack turned to Neil and said. 

“Is he going to be alright?” 

Neil looks over to Nico who is now staring into space and pulling his hair. 

“I think so. I just think he needs to get some rest.” 

They start to get up and Wymack says. “Minyard, can you walk them out?”

Knowing that he probably wants to talk to Neil. He follows them out of the office and Andrew says. 

“Does he have somebody he can talk to? It may help-” 

“Yes he has a therapist but...money is a little... it’s a little tight right now so he might have to wait a while until he can go back.” Neil says looking down at the floor as they walk down the hall. 

“The school has a free therapist.”

“Yeah I know but is a public school “therapist” really qualified.” 

“Yes she is. She used to be a normal therapist but moved here to help the kids. Her name is Betsy Dobson. I can give you her number.”

“Huh. I may check it out.” 

They get to his car which is a rusty old small blue car that looks like it’s falling apart. Neil gets Nico into the car and then turns to Andrew. 

“Is he...is he doing okay in your class?” He asks which actually surprises Andrew. 

“Do you not think he can?” 

“What? No! I just worry about him sometimes. You know I can’t be by him every second and sometimes it seems like I’m the only person who can help him.” 

“I’m sure Renee told you I know sign language and she knows how to help. She’s not that far from my class so if I need her she’ll be there.”

It’s quiet while Neil looks through the window at Nico who seems to have fallen asleep. And then Andrew says. 

“You’re quite young to be a father.”

Not really asking a question but just putting it out there. 

“Oh I’m not. He’s my brother.” Then he adds. “I was almost one though. They tried to pair me up with a girl once to have a kid.” He chuckles a bit and continues. “That’s when they thought I was straight.” 

Sirens go off in Andrew's brain as he casually tries to say. 

“Whose they?” 

And then with a smile on his face in the most nonchalant tone he says. 

“The mafia.” 

Then he gets into his car and drives away leaving him frozen just standing there in the parking lot.


	4. 2 AM Text Messages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and Neil get each others numbers and text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is shorter. I'm still figuring out what I want to happen. If you have any suggestions feel free to say something.

The whole weekend he tries to figure out what Neil meant. The mafia? He tried asking Renee but she said. “It’s not my secret to tell.” Like Neil hadn't already told him so much. The next week both Nico and Jason aren’t in the class until Thursday since their suspension. They sit on complete opposite sides of the room. At the end of the day Andrew goes down to Renee’s class and when he walks in most of the students are gone and there are a couple of GSA members but what shocks him is Neil talking to Renee. Andrew had never seen him until the meeting and wonders how he missed him. Neil catches him staring and winks. He has the audacity to fucking wink. He decides to walk over to Nico (whose face is looking better) and signs. 

“How are you feeling?”

He signs back “Fucking peachy.”

A few seconds later Neil walks up to them and says. “Getting along?” 

Andrew rolls his eyes as Nico starts to walk away presumably to the car. Instead of following Neil turns to him and says. 

“Fractured nose. It’s been making him grumpy. It’s been making me grumpy too. That shit was not cheap.” 

“And why would I care?” “I don’t know, maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. Oh could you give me Dr. Dobson's number?” 

“Give me your phone.” 

Andrew took his phone and put his number in instead and typed something so he would have it. “I’ll send it to you.”

Neil doesn’t seem to protest as he nods and walks out of the classroom. 

“What was that?” Renee asks. 

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” He says back. 

Later he texts Neil Bee’s number. He doesn’t get any response and Andrew assumes he’s one of those types of people until he gets a text at 2 in the morning. 

Neil: thx. i think nico will like her.

Andrew: Why the fuck are you awake and texting me at 2 in the fucking morning?

Neil: hmm...why r u awake at 2 in the fucking morning? 🤨

Andrew: Just texting this annoying guy who thinks he can text me in the middle of the night.

Neil: ha

Neil: what made this guy so annoying?

Andrew: When he told me he was in the mafia and then booked it.

Neil: ohhh ur still salty abt that?

Neil: technically i'm not in the mafia anymore but how abt we meet up and i can tell u bout it?

Andrew: Are you asking me out?

Neil: how do u define asking out?

Andrew: A romantic date. How do you define it?

Neil: a platonic dinner with your brother’s teacher to discuss your mafia background.

Andrew smiles to himself and tries to figure out what to say that won’t make him seem vulnerable.

Neil: u don’t have to if u don’t want to. u can look up everything. 

Andrew: Brix. Saturday. 6:30. I’ll pick you up.

Neil: k here’s my address and i’m taking nico too.

Andrew: See you soon night fox.

Neil: night fox? Isn’t the saying night owl?

Andrew: I saw your PSU fox keychain and put together you are obsessed. I went there too.

Neil: Oh we must’ve missed each other. 

Andrew looked at the words over and over again and thought what it would've been like if they met then. He was crazy high on court mandated drugs and psychotic and glad they didn’t meet.  
As Andrew tries to go back to sleep he thinks about texting Neil and what will happen Saturday. Even though Neil explained how he saw this meetup and Nico was now coming Andrew couldn’t get out of his brain that this was a date. He asked him out. Thinking about it makes him fall asleep quickly and dream happily.


	5. Dinner "Date"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oooo the "date" happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine Neil and Nico's house like a smaller version of the house from shameless if you were wondering. Also I'm always open to suggestions.
> 
> I own nothing. Creds to Nora Sakavic.

The whole rest of the week Andrew is on edge but not in a bad way. He just doesn’t know how Saturday is going to go. He needs to keep up his apathetic façade though. When Saturday finally rolls around he stresses out getting ready. He doesn’t know what to wear. Does this look too formal? Will he think this is weird? Will I get cold in this? Ultimately Andrew decides to keep his all black aesthetic and wear a black turtleneck, jeans, and Doc Martins. Not exactly what he would wear to school but he’s not going to school. He’s going to dinner with Neil. And Nico of course. 

Andrew pulls up in front of where Neil told him. It’s on the other side of the tracks in the ominous part of town. He lives in a very tiny house that looks like it’s 100 years old. There are other houses around it with stuff all in the yard and cigarettes on the ground. Neil’s house is pretty clean with a couple things in the yard and a small ‘J’ on the front door. When he walks up to the door he can see that the welcome mat says “Fuck Off”. He rings the doorbell and hears a lot of rustling around and things falling over. Finally a little Hispanic lady opens the door and he thinks he has the wrong house. Then she looks Andrew up and down and says some things in Spanish. She starts yelling behind her shoulder until Neil shows up and yells at her back in the same language. She goes back in the house and Neil turns his attention to Andrew. 

“Sorry about that. That’s Sofia. She lives with us and she’s very religious. She thought you were the devil.”

Neil keeps the screen door closed and just stares at Andrew and then yells. 

“Nico get your ass down here!” 

Nico comes running down the narrow and creaky steps behind Neil with earbuds in and a Star Wars bag that looks very full. He’s also wearing a Star Wars shirt. Neil on the other hand is wearing brown pants with a black t-shirt. It makes his blue eyes look really nice. Then Neil signs 

“Ready?”

and Nico nods. As they walk out to Andrew’s car Neil says. 

“He’ll probably keep to himself most of the night. He has trouble with the loud noises. That’s why he’s wearing the earbuds.” 

Andrew nods. They get in the car with Neil in the passenger seat and Nico in the back. 

“This is a really nice car. A Maserati? Those are crazy expensive!” 

Neil says as Andrew starts to pull out on the road. 

“I bought it with Tilda’s inheritance money.” 

“Who’s Tilda?” 

“My brother’s mom.” 

“Wouldn’t that just be your mom?” 

“No.” 

“Oh. I get it. I had shitty parents too.” 

“Well you did say you were in the mafia. That’s why we're here.” 

“I feel like it’s not the only reason we're here.” 

“What do you mean?” “I think there were a lot of contributing factors.” 

Andrew thinks about that in silence. Does Neil not see this as just a dinner too? 

“Had?” Andrew then says. 

“Huh?” 

“You said you had shitty parents. Are they dead?” 

“Yeah and I wouldn't want it any other way.” 

“Same.” 

They drive the rest of the way in silence except for the faint sound of music coming from Nico’s earbuds. Once they get in and get seated Nico pulls out a fantasy book and starts reading it while his earbuds are still in. Because of that he feels safe enough to ask Neil. 

“Why did you really “ask me out”?” 

“You already know this. Mafia-” 

“No. I mean for real. Not as a joke. I’m not mad. Just curious.” 

“Curiosity killed the cat.” 

“But satisfaction brought it back.” 

“Touché. To be honest which is not something I do often. I just...there’s a quality about you. I’m not sure what it is yet but it’s different than anybody I’ve met before.” 

Andrew does somersaults in his head. Neil thinks he has a defining quality. 

“You’ve got something about you too.” 

“Hmm really what is it?” 

“You know the rarest eye and hair combination is red hair and blue eyes?” 

“Oh. Really? Wait. You like my eyes?” 

“I never said I did. I just said it was rare.” 

“I got my hair and eyes from my dad. God sometimes I hate how much I look like him.” 

“I get that.” 

Neil gives him a weird look but doesn’t say anything else so Andrew doesn’t want to bring it up. Andrew would do anything to not have to talk about Aaron with anybody but especially Neil. Aaron still lives in South Carolina but Andrew never sees him because he’s doing med school in another city with Katelyn. Across the state. He visits a lot because of Nicky but he knows Aaron never comes here for Andrew. But that’s fine. They order their food and it comes out a little later. While they're eating Andrew asks. 

“So are you going to talk about the mafia?” 

“Honestly I don’t have much to say about it. I grew up in it and then I made a deal and got out. I guess the whole “running from them for 8 years” was a big part of it. Once I left I found Nico a few months later and here we are.” 

“Did Nico not grow up with you?” 

“No. I didn’t meet him until recently. We’re actually only half brothers on my dad’s side but my mom and I left when I was 10 and my dad got freaky with his assistant. They just put Nico in the foster system though. I’m just glad he didn’t have to grow up with them.” 

The whole story sounded very familiar to Andrew. Growing up in the foster system and meeting a long lost brother who had a terrible life too. Andrew gets lost in his thoughts until Neil says. 

“We can split the check.” He says to the waiter. 

Then Andrew says. “No. I’ll pay in full.” 

“You don’t have to do that. You're a teacher.” 

“No. Let me.” Before Neil can say anything more Andrew is handing over his credit card and the waiter is gone. 

“You really didn’t have to do that. I’m not homeless.” 

“Can you just let me buy dinner for you?” 

Neil doesn’t say anything else while the waiter gives his credit card back. Then Nico starts tapping on Neil's shoulder panically and starts signing. 

“Can we go? It’s too loud. I can hear it through my earbuds.” 

“Okay let’s go come on.” 

They leave quickly and Nico feels better outside. On the way home it’s quiet in the car except for Neil trying to calm down Nico. The silence is comfortable though. When they get back Nico goes on inside but Neil stays in the car. 

“I was thinking next time we could go without Nico.” Neil says. 

“Next time?” 

“Well I just assumed-” 

“I’ll see you dumbass.” Andrew says as he reaches over Neil and opens the passenger door. 

“Now get out.” 

When Andrew drives home he replays the night in his head and smiles to himself. He gets no nightmares that night.


	6. I Do Not Have A Crush On Andrew Minyard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil's POV!!! This is a shorter chapter (sorry) basically going through Neil's life after the "date".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll I know it's been a while since I've posted. I'm sorry about that. I've been going through some mental health things and it's been really fucking hard. I've also been stressed a lot with school and exams coming up soon. I thought I should let those things be my priority. I don't want any of you to think I don't care because I do and I'm going to try my hardest to write when I can. Thank you all for all the support. I love hearing from you and I hope you like this chapter. :)

“What was that?”

Nico signs to Neil when he walks inside. He’s petting their gray tabby cat named King. Petting her fur makes Nico feel better. 

“What do you mean?” He signs back. 

“I’m not stupid.” 

“I didn’t say you were.” 

“Neil.” 

“Nico.” 

“Do you have a crush on my teacher?” 

“What? No! Fuck off!” He yells without thinking.  
Nico just raises an eyebrow at him and walks upstairs. I mean Andrew is cute and if he’d happen to like him he would maybe date him but he definitely doesn’t. Neil is pretty sure Andrew is straight anyways. And he would never like his scars. Especially the ones he can’t see. Then Sofia walks into the living room from the kitchen and says. 

“Why are you yelling?” In Spanish. 

“Lo siento Sofia.”

Sofia lived with them because she was their neighbor but her house flooded and she had nowhere else to stay. Her oldest daughter and her husband passed away last year in a car accident and her younger daughter left the house when she was 18 and Sophia hasn’t seen her since. When Neil found out he decided to let her stay in the guest room with them while her house was being rebuilt. She’s also a really good cook. As Neil starts getting ready for bed he hears a familiar banging coming from upstairs. He sighs and opens the door to Nico’s room. He’s opening and closing his dresser drawer. He always does this when he’s stressed. Neil signs. 

“Are you okay?” 

Nico stops for a second and signs. 

“I’m anything but okay.” 

“What’s going on?” He stops completely and turns towards Neil. 

“You’re gonna fall in love with Mr. Minyard and I’m gonna be left all alone.” 

“What? I would never leave you or pick you over anyone. And I’m not in love with Andrew.” 

“You’re already on a first name basis?” 

“Nico. It’s going to be alright. I know...I know you were left a lot when you were younger but I would never do that. I don’t think I could live with myself. The moment I saw you I knew I would stay with you forever.” 

Nico doesn’t sign anything and just sits there and stares at Neil. Then Neil wipes the tears off of Nico’s eyes and gets up. 

That Monday morning Sofia made a dish that was really good but Neil had no idea what it was. Nico wasn’t downstairs yet so Neil went to check on him. He was lying in bed with the covers still over his head. 

“Nico? You ready to go?” 

Then he turns over and signs. 

“I’m not going.” 

“Okay. I gotta go to work but get some rest.” 

Nico just turns back over. He’s been having a hard week anyway since the fight but he always pushes all his immediate feelings down and now all of the exhaustion was hitting him. Neil knew it was bound to happen. Neil waves Sofia goodbye and gets in his car to go to work. When he went to college he majored in Math and had trouble finding a job with that degree. He was able to find a job as a cryptographer which is basically someone who breaks and writes codes but it’s far away and he has to drive 45 minutes out of town. He also has another half job at a small grocery store that he goes to after his normal job to bring in more money. So in conclusion he has to drive around a lot to make a couple bucks that he ends up using on food, water, and bills. Nothing for himself. But that’s fine because that’s how he grew up most of his life. It’s Nico he worries about. He knows he needs to see a therapist and that’s why he’s thankful for Andrew suggesting Doctor Dobson but he doesn’t know what to do about the small things. Right now he uses an old Walkman Neil found at a garage sale to calm down. Nico fidgets with his hands and hair a lot because he doesn’t have any stim toys. And even though Neil has learned a lot since he’s met Nico he’s not perfect. He doesn’t know everything and sometimes it’s nice to get another person's point of view. When he gets to work he checks his phone and sees that Andrew texted him asking about Nico. He texts back saying that he’ll probably be back tomorrow or soon. 

Fast forward to that Friday Nico is grudgingly getting out of bed without going to school once this week. Neil likes to see himself as a “cool dad” because he is very lenient when it comes to Nico. If he wants to cuss out teachers he lets him do it. If he wants to punch stupid people Neil allows it. If he wants to stay home he lets him stay home. But at some point he has to draw a line. He feels bad about it but he hasn’t gone to school at all this week and it worries Neil. He doesn’t know if this is just a small normal thing or if something bigger is happening. Neil walked in his room this morning and told him he’s gonna miss his test if he doesn’t go. “Come on Nico. Just go for a few hours. I don’t want your grade to go down. You worked hard for it.” Neil says as he rubs Nico’s hair. He lifts his hands and signs. “I don’t care about my fucking grade. Leave me alone.” Usually Neil would let it go but he needs some proof that Nico is okay. “Nico. Come on. Get up.” Neil stands up and starts riling him up. Finally Nico gives in. He signs. “Fine. I’ll go but you're getting me after my test.” Neil smiles but it falters when he sees Nico’s face. It’s not smug or joking. It’s drained and hollow. Then he gets a 4th text from Andrew asking about Nico. 

Neil: he’s coming today. Just leaving early.

Andrew: Ok. Has he seen Bee yet?

Neil: bee?

Andrew: Dr. Dobson.

Neil: not yet. i was gonna do it this week.

Andrew: Ok. See you soon.

Neil: soon? when?

Andrew: Saturday. My place. Here’s the address.

Neil: ur lucky i have saturdays off or you’re surprise slightly aggressive dinner plans wouldn’t really work.

Andrew: Yeah well I have Saturday’s off too.

Neil: 🙄


End file.
